title: Low-molecular-weight-chitosan ameliorates cadmium-induced toxicity in the freshwater crab, Sinopotamon yangtsekiense.
abstract: Cadmium (Cd) has been shown to induce oxidative stress. Low-molecular-weight-chitosan (LMWC) has been demonstrated to exhibit potent antioxidant effects. We investigated the regulation role in Cd²⁺-induced oxidative damage in the hepatopancreas of the freshwater crab Sinopotamon yangtsekiense and the protective effect of LMWC. The results showed that Cd²⁺ significantly increased the hepatopancreatic metallothionein (MT) mRNA levels and protein kinase C (PKC) activity while decreasing the activities of Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase and Ca²⁺-ATPase in crabs relative to the control group. Co-treatment with LMWC suppressed the levels of MT and PKC but raised the activities of Na⁺,K+-ATPase and Ca²⁺-ATPase in hepatopancreatic tissues compared with the crabs exposed to Cd²⁺ alone. We postulate that LMWC may exert its protective effect through regulating the expressions of MT, PKC, Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase and Ca²⁺-ATPase, thereby enhancing antioxidant defense. These observations suggest that LMWC may be beneficial because of its ability to alleviate the Cd²⁺-induced damages to the crabs.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, Shanxi Province, PR China.
authors.forename: Ruijin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yanying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Guorui
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ren
mesh_terms: D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003386:Brachyura / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D002104:Cadmium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases / Q000378:metabolism; D048271:Chitosan / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000737:chemistry; D043143:Hepatopancreas / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000378:metabolism; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / Q000378:metabolism; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002104:Cadmium; D048271:Chitosan; D008668:Metallothionein; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase